Kompany, 30, played a closed-doors practice match at the City Football Academy this week.

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is unlikely to play against Manchester United at Old Trafford despite coming through a closed-doors match unscathed.

Kompany, 30, has been missing from action since suffering a thigh injury in last season's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

The Daily Mirror says Kompany played a 50-minute practice match behind closed doors at the City Football Academy this week, in which summer signings Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan also featured.

However, he is only expected to return to first-team action after the Manchester derby on 10 September, with City boss Pep Guardiola reported to be reluctant to risk the Belgium international in such a high-intensity fixture.

The Mirror claims John Stones and Aleksandar Kolarov will start in central defence for the visitors at Old Trafford.

Kompany was given time off by City after the practice match to join up with his Belgium teammates ahead of the friendly against Spain in Brussels.

He only started 13 Premier League games for City in an injury-curtailed 2015/16 campaign, scoring two goals.

Aguero appeal

City are also waiting to see if Sergio Aguero can play in the Manchester derby after appealing against the violent conduct charge handed down to him by the Football Association.

Vincent Kompany, 30, made only 14 league appearances for Manchester City last seasonGetty Images

The Argentina striker appeared to elbow West Ham's Winston Reid in City's 3-1 win over West Ham on 28 August.

The incident was missed by referee Andre Marriner so the FA decided to take retrospective action using video replays as evidence.

If City's appeal is thrown out, Aguero will sit out a Premier League match against Bournemouth and a League Cup encounter against Swansea City, along with the derby against United.

Guardiola has insisted that his team could cope without Aguero at Old Trafford.

"If it happens, we accept and adapt. If we lose him, we lose him. We are going to play with 11," he was quoted as saying by the Independent after the West Ham match.